Beginner Beginner query

tom24

tom24

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Tom
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I have just bought a nikon d3200 with the 18-55 vr lens, i'm looking for opinions on whether to get the 35 or 50 prime lens for the camera next.
This camera is mainly for 'landscapish' type images as i have a p600 for recording wildlife/bird shots with the zoom.
It's for learning on too as i have very limited photography experience.

Can someone recommend a hood for the kit lens, i see a wide variation in price but would like to make sure of it's durability.

Cheers,
tom
 
Hi Tom,

Both the 35mm and 50mm afs lens are good lens. For indoor I would say get the 35mm. Not sure about landscape.

Try using your one for a while and see which focal range you use the most before you decide on the lens.

For the lens hood any cheap one from either amazon or ebay will do.
 
Start with the kit lens, there's plenty of scope for learning with that. For landscapes you won't benefit as much from the wider aperture of the primes just yet. You'd probably be better investing in a good tripod for the time being (if you haven't got one already).

With lens hoods, cheap is fine. Unless you plan on swinging the camera into walls or frequently dropping it durability shouldn't be an issue ;)
 
As Alastair says, your kit lens is fine for landscapes and used with proper technique will give excellent results.
When you start noticing problems caused by limitations of your kit, then it's time to upgrade.
The main thing is get out there and take photos; practice is the best way to improve your technique and work out what sort of image floats your boat!
I went through a phase of going on as many Talk Photography meets as possible and learned a huge amount from watching others. Check the Meeting Place at the bottom of the forum.
 
Thanks guys, i do have a decent tripod already.
Guess it's just practise for a while now.
 
tom24 said:
I have just bought a nikon d3200 with the 18-55 vr lens, i'm looking for opinions on whether to get the 35 or 50 prime lens for the camera next.
Click to expand...
Well, your 18-55 zoom covers both 35mm and 50mm. So which of those focal lengths do you find yourself using most? Or which do you find yourself wanting to use, if only the lens were faster? That's the answer to your question. No point buying a lens because it's good, or good value, if it's not what you would use.
 
As above. I have a collection of old M42 primes from film cameras I occasionally use with my D3200. They aren't something I chuck in the bag for walk-about or landscape stuff. Kit lens covers the 35-50 range, and all you are getting from primes is the low f-no, which can be great for close up or portraits to blurr back ground, but probably isn't so important for landscape where your are focusing close on infinity and probably using a high f-no to maximise depth of focus. I would say that for landscape & walk-about a wide-angle zoom, something like a 10-24 would probably be higher up my list than either of the AF primes.

To retrieve my camera from clammy claws of daughter doing her photo-O-Level, and booked to carry on doing her A in it; I have just acquired her a D3100 and 35/18. Studied decision, that combination, but doing the exercises set by her tutor she was starting to rub into the buffers of what she could do with the kit 18-55 on my camera, with still life studies, & portraiture, indoor studio stuff, and demonstrations of things like controlled Depth of Focus and bokah effects.

35mm is the 'standard' angle of view for an APS sized DSLR, equivalent to a 50 on an old film camera, which was what most came with, and was the 'all round' general purpose fixed prime, a lot of us started out with whey-back-when, and a lot of ideas and exercises in more taught photography are based around; hence seemed a logical choice to sacrifice zoom for f-no for her with one.

The little she has done with it (She's only had it a week.. conveniently half term week) has sort of confirmed it was the right thinking, for a 'Learning Lens', and I have to say I was very impressed with it, and half tempted to try and get one of my own.. especially at the price; they do seem to be incredibly good VFM... BUT, I would say its a 'Learning Lens', which could still make it very useful, and a lot of fun to play with and experiment.. but I doubt that it will take you very far in your Landscape photo, other than breaking 'zoom dependency' and making you move your feet to frame your subject and take a bit more time to consider other angles.
 
Thanks all.
 
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